From now on, all of retail's future years are going to be pivotal, every one of them as far as the prognosticators can see.

The winners and losers seem to reach those points faster these days. The move from online-only to brick-and-mortar stores will continue to accelerate in various forms. Brands believe they have to enter the physical world to reach more customers with pop-ups and permanent locations.

That's the thinking behind a new shopping destination in Plano called Neighborhood Goods, which has brands that rotate in and out and offers a place for online-only brands to show their wares. It may become the new version of a department store as one of the oldest in the category, Sears, tries to emerge from bankruptcy in early 2019.

Neighborhood Goods is being closely watched by the retail industry. Sears, of course, could go the way of Toys R Us. And as more local malls lose anchor stores, sometimes it works out well if the owners have the money and the ideas to reimagine the space.